MADDIE BIDDING WAR Madeleine McCann’s family at centre of TV chat show rights scrap on 10th anniversary of tot’s disappearance

A friend claims Kate and Gerry McCann have been offered huge bids for an exclusive interview

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By TRACEY KANDOHLA

3rd February 2017, 4:55 pm

KATE McCann has been thrust into a global bidding war as TV chat shows and news giants battle to try and sign her up for talks on the 10th anniversary of daughter Madeleine’s disappearance.

The anguished mum, who has no idea if Maddie is dead or alive after nearly a decade, has been offered huge bids for an exclusive interview, a friend said today.

But Kate, still reeling from her shock libel defeat against a former Portuguese cop this week while trying to enjoy her younger twins’ 12th birthdays, has not yet considered any deal.

The ex GP and heart doctor husband Gerry now face sizeable court costs after losing their civil action on appeal and previously-won but not paid £360,000 damages which they had been ring-fencing for the ongoing search for Maddie.

Breakfast telly queen Lorraine Kelly and a pal of Kate’s could be a firm favourite although ITV would probably only pay a fraction of a fee being offered by brash American broadcasters.

One has told Kate and husband Gerry: “Name your price!”

A close friend of the McCann’s said: “They have been bombarded with offers from media around the world.

“They’re already got 30 sitting on the table and are getting new bids every other day particularly from the big American networks.

Kate did her last TV sofa chat with Scottish presenter Lorraine, a former Sun columnist, nearly three years ago.

Maddie’s mum’s last print interview was with The Sun a year ago as the newspaper helped promote a new child rescue alert campaign on behalf of her charity Missing People.

It is believed the McCanns from Rothley, Leics, are being offered many thousands of pounds to relive their torment in a milestone 10th anniversary chat.

After three-year-old Maddie vanished during a family holiday to Portugal in May 2007 Kate and Gerry were in a £1million bidding war by two of America’s biggest chat show stars at the time – Oprah Winfrey and Barbara Walters.

The McCanns, for an undisclosed fee, finally chose Oprah and in May 2009 told in a heart breaking interview how they felt their snatched daughter was still alive.

The family source said: “Kate and Gerry get weary from all the demands for interviews, especially in the run up to the anniversary.

"The tenth one is a significant one and there is tremendous interest, not just from Britain and America but Australasia and Europe and of course Portugal.

The pal added: “America has always had a fascination with Madeleine. And they’ve had their own high profile stories of missing children with happy endings after after being found alive and well years later.”

Just last month Kate and Gerry were given fresh hope and “buoyed up” when a kidnapped girl Kamiyah Mobley was found alive in the US after an incredible 18-year search.Maddie, if alive, would turn 14 in mid May just nine days after the anniversary.

The McCanns have been left “bitterly disappointed” after losing on Tuesday an eight-year libel battle against Goncalo Amaral, an ex detective they had tried to silence but who defeated them.

They now face big court costs which they will take from but will eat into the dwindling Find Maddie Fund.

It is made up of public donations and proceeds from Kate’s best-seller book. The friend added: “Gerry said ‘It’s not good news. We’ve gone to the pinnacle of the Portuguese legal system and we’ve lost. We now have to pay a sizeable amount in costs.’ ”

The McCann’s spokesperson Clarence Mitchell said today: “No firm decision has been made about any 10th anniversary interview.”

He has previously said: “Kate and Gerry would only ever agree to a deal which would widen the search for their daughter.”

The winning bid will certainly go to someone who "never asks too many searching questions" such as "the" 48 questions she wouldn't answer ten years ago.

With three months to go before the tenth anniversary, they are certain Madeleine will not be found in the meantime and will greatly benefit again from Madeleine's death....vile people. They will continue to dishonour Madeleine as the money rolls in.

Carnival barker Tracey Kandohla has done well today; she managed to sell her article to the Sun and DM.

I can't imagine why the McCanns are so uptight about Madeleine being mentioned in this show. Both children were the victims of faked abductions, except of course poor Madeleine is dead. Mentioning the case of Madeleine is an integral part of the story since this "abduction" was patterned after the McCann case where the mother hoped to cash in and grab media interview fees just like Kate McCann.

Just have to say, Gerry McCann has succeeded in his goal to keep the case 'high profile' for almost ten years now. (I can't remember his exact quote.)

Carnival barker Tracey Kandohla has done well today; she managed to sell her article to the Sun and DM.

I can't imagine why the McCanns are so uptight about Madeleine being mentioned in this show. Both children were the victims of faked abductions, except of course poor Madeleine is dead. Mentioning the case of Madeleine is an integral part of the story since this "abduction" was patterned after the McCann case where the mother hoped to cash in and grab media interview fees just like Kate McCann.

Just have to say, Gerry McCann has succeeded in his goal to keep the case 'high profile' for almost ten years now. (I can't remember his exact quote.)

Or maybe deflection as details of the Supreme Court ruling are becoming known.

interested wrote:I bet the McCanns are not "buoyed up" today with the details of the Supreme Court decision now public.

Oh dear! Will this affect the money the McCanns are offered for an exclusive interview? I do hope so.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________"You can run on for a long time, Run on for a long time, Run on for a long time, Sooner or later God'll cut you down." (Johnny Cash)

With Donald Trump's heavily reported complaints about 'fake news', I wonder if Gerry is trying to manipulate/wangle a White House appearance with him to blast what he would have us believe is "fake", namely the DM's reference to Madeleine's death. With only three months to go before the tenth anniversary, he's probably scrambling to come up with some huge event to mark the milestone. He will be assuming of course that in two months time when SY complete their investigation, the McCanns will not be indicted, at least in the U.K.

Will the McCanns risk a TV appearance where they might get asked about the Supreme Court's decision and the statement about their not being cleared?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________"You can run on for a long time, Run on for a long time, Run on for a long time, Sooner or later God'll cut you down." (Johnny Cash)

AnnaEsse wrote:Will the McCanns risk a TV appearance where they might get asked about the Supreme Court's decision and the statement about their not being cleared?

I suspect any agreement for an appearance will be controlled as to what can and cannot be asked using the "we want to focus on the search" mantra.

Questions to be agreed beforehand

_________________________________________________________________________________________________"You can run on for a long time, Run on for a long time, Run on for a long time, Sooner or later God'll cut you down." (Johnny Cash)

AnnaEsse wrote:Will the McCanns risk a TV appearance where they might get asked about the Supreme Court's decision and the statement about their not being cleared?

I suspect any agreement for an appearance will be controlled as to what can and cannot be asked using the "we want to focus on the search" mantra.

Questions to be agreed beforehand

Business as usual then.

Yes, I expect so, but whichever TV show they appear on I reckon they'll get a roasting on social media and in newspaper comments.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________"You can run on for a long time, Run on for a long time, Run on for a long time, Sooner or later God'll cut you down." (Johnny Cash)